Crime & Safety

Allegations of Infidelity Involved in Waltham Police Chief Incident; Violent Assault Detailed

Waltham Police Chief Thomas LaCroix allegedly attacked his wife last week.

A brutal assault on the wife of Waltham Police Chief Thomas LaCroix and her friend was just part of the  released to a mental health facility and to wear a GPS bracelet.

Also, court papers reveal that LaCroix's wife told him she was seeking a divorce. They also indicate LaCroix accused his wife of having an affair.

While LaCroix’s attorney, Peter Bella, and Assistant District Attorney Suzanne Kontz agreed on 12 of the 13 condition’s of LaCroix’s release, they disagreed on the state’s request for the GPS bracelet to track LaCroix.

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Kontz argued the GPS device was necessary to prevent LaCroix from hurting anybody during his release. She also cited others factors including the nature and seriousness of the crime and LaCroix’s previous threats to kill himself.

Bella, however, objected saying LaCroix is not a danger to himself or others. Bella also said LaCroix, 49, had no desire to jeopardize his ability to see his two sons in the future. He also argued that LaCroix was a respected member of the Waltham and Maynard (LaCroix lives in Maynard) communities who had no intention of contacting the alleged victims and witnesses. Bella also claimed that LaCroix’s wife told him that the GPS was not necessary because she would report any inappropriate behavior toward her to police.

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Additional details of the assault on both women emerged during a dangerousness hearing in Concord District Court on Thursday, June 21 and in court documents previously withheld from the public. Parts of the court papers are redacted making it difficult to understand some of the details of the incident. 

DETAILS OF THE INCIDENTS

  • LaCroix’s wife showed up at her friend’s home at 9 p.m. on June 12 with a swollen lip, back pain and a severe limp, according to court documents. Kontz said the wife told the friend LaCroix had assaulted her. The friend let LaCroix’s wife into and assisted her.
  • At around 8:30 a.m. that day, the alleged victim sent a text message to a male co-worker about a work meeting, according to court documents, which quote a witness. LaCroix “rushed home from work,” and confronted his wife about the message, “accusing her of adulterous behavior,” according to court papers.
  • LaCroix then started drinking alcohol for the remainder of the day, according to a witness quoted in the court papers. At some point afterword, LaCroix rammed his car into the garage door of his home, badly damaging it. He then allegedly assaulted his wife after accusing her of adultery, according to court papers. LaCroix also took his wife’s phone from her and the victim fled the home, according to court papers. 
  • The alleged victim and friend them returned to the home to retrieve personal items, according to court papers. LaCroix allegedly came at the pair “fists flying.”
  • Then, LaCroix allegedly attacked the pair. LaCroix allegedly placed his wife in a choke hold and swung her around the room before slamming her head on a kitchen counter, according to court records. LaCroix then threw his wife's friend into a bike rack and threatened to kill one or both of them and then himself, according to court papers.
  • On June 13, LaCroix allegedly called his wife at work and threatened her, according to court papers and the prosecutor. LaCroix also allegedly went to her office but was taken off the site by security, according to court papers.
  • Later, Maynard Police went to LaCroix's home and observed a ladder in the garage positioned in a way that made police believe he may have attempted to kill himself, according to court papers.
  • Police then entered his house and saw damage that indicated somebody may have forced their way into the house, according to court papers. Police did not find LaCroix at the house.
  • As police were clearing the area, a neighbor flagged them down and told them she saw several men at the house 30 minutes before police arrived. The men picked up LaCroix in a dark sport utility vehicle, according to court papers. Police then received a call from somebody, whose name is redacted, saying LaCroix had been with his stress officer from the Waltham Police Department.
  • Believing LaCroix was going to turn himself in, police waited 30 minutes and then went to the house. They arrived just as LaCroix was pulling into the driveway. “Come on guys. Is all this necessary?” LaCroix told police, according to court papers.
  • LaCroix started to enter the house, but police stepped in and placed him under arrest, according to court papers. He then threw his keys on the hood of the car and grabbed a car mirror, cracking the plastic, according to court papers.
  • Police tried to calm LaCroix. As they locked the handcuffs on the chief, he intentionally struck his head against the car several times, according to court papers. LaCroix then slammed his knee on the car as police put him in a cruiser.
  • Once at the Maynard police station, LaCroix declined to discuss the incident. He then broke a bar of soap and threw it around his cell. He also punched the walls.
  • Later, LaCroix complained of chest pains and was taken to Emerson hospital, according to court papers. He was later arraigned in his hospital bed.
  • At some point, LaCroix’s wife told him that she was seeking a divorce, according to court papers.

Full coverage of the arrest of Waltham Police Chief Thomas LaCroix.

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